Should Blizz delay Shadowland launch to make sure it starts in a good state?

[Azerate]

If it's really in a bad state, which I do not know if that is the case or not, then yes.

But somehow we aren't hearing anything like that from any of the high profile content creators or fansites. People are mostly debating their subjective opinions on how systems should work and how they shouldn't. Those are design decisions, they aren't getting better according to the people who dislike them even if the game is delayed by 2 months for additional polish.

Also, I know this is probably a hot take on this forum, but I don't recall BfA being buggy at all, at launch. I think the bugs I encountered was some quest mob was evading and then some g'huun bugs went through walls in 2 dungeons. If that's what you consider "buggy" then no launch is ever gonna be smooth.

[Crysis]

Theres always gonna be stuff to fix, stuff to improve. The best way is to let as many players in to get as much feedback as possible for the future fixes. I say stick with october, one month is plenty with a little crunch on the side.

[Queen of Hamsters]

It's never going to start in a perfect, or even good state, so might as well get it out there and put out fires as they flare up, as has been their method since forever either way.

None of the issues I have with SL, would be fixed by a couple more months spent in Beta.

[4justice]

Bring back money if you want to delay

[rrayy]

100% absolutely not the case. Just because you don't experience them doesn't mean they don't exist.

Also, if the issue was my computer only then I wouldn't be having similar issues on the four other computers in my house that we use for retail WoW. I wouldn't also have a couple friends who aren't close to me, have different internet providers and machines, having similar issues as well.

Actually you could have the same issues with every computer if the issue is with your ISP. Also, his issues could be for a different reason, but still on his side. Things are not cut and dry as to which end is causing it. Usually when it is on Blizzard's end, everyone is having it and the complaints are all over the official forums.

[Yamuri]

Balance isn't everything but that being said... I shouldn't have to feel like I'm missing out on a really good skill by picking the covenant I want lore wise. From what I understand, the skills are unbalanced and some specs have the conduits favor the strongest skill too, leaving them in the dust.

Class balance has always been an issue. Delaying for this seems a bit crazy though since they've never been able to fix it and I don't think they will. At least get the classes within a 5-10% dps/healing/bubble/damage mitigation value difference. With that said, I don't think it's an easy thing to do and sometimes some classes need to shine. Maybe not as brightly as they do now anyways.

[Velerios]

People here are forgetting something: Shadowlands was in the work when BfA wasn't even out yet, so yes, they had shadowlands with BfA in mind, especially since Legion ended and many parts of it were quite successfu, but in the end needed to revamt a lot of things. Right now blizzard is already working on 10.0 and this all the facts that we have now, that bfa was a crap of a game. So no, the state is better than in BfA, but for all the issues to be removed, you need actually a new expansion. I'm pretty sure that blizzard needed to remove a lot of system they originally wanted to enter that the game

Only one example: Tier-Sets: People crave for it, but we don't get them, only said; yeah, maybe next patch: that simply because they were already finished with it. Implementing tier sets now is nearly impossible; and i doubt that we even see them in the next major patch. Maybe and just a very small maybe we get them as the big last raid-feature of shadowlands, but i doubt we see something even in the mid expanion raid.+

So no, even taking some more months will not change a lot, since they are already working on the next project already

[orlfman]

yes. first impressions are everything. even to people who say they don't care about first impressions still do actually care. i don't want a bad launch. i don't want a bad expansions and i've grown tired of them "fixing" it halfway through the expansion in a half arsed way.

[matrix123mko]

Yes. They should give trolls beards before even thinking about launch.

[Nite92]

What's that?

- - - Updated - - -



Balance does seem to be Blizzards Achilles heel.

This so much. I do not understand why they create soooo many classwide power progression systems. In no way it is possible to balance those. It will never work. Legion was so good with balancing because they could just tune the artifact weapon or class legendaries.

[TigTone]

Yes. They should give trolls beards before even thinking about launch.

The only delay I would expect.

My Zandalari will be complete with an amazing beard.

[PHsname]

To OP: no. We'll end up waiting two years for the game to still be mediocrely balanced.

[Zenfoldor]

Always delay if needed. Miyamoto figured this one out a long time ago. No need to rethink or reinvent the wheel. Just remember the saying. No, patches don't eventually make them good. First impressions and all that. They fixed BFA with patches, did that turn it all around? It needs to be good when it first comes out, or you will have a large percentage of people who will leave and not come back until next xpak(if then). Those people that leave will complain about your game to anyone who will listen for a long time.

Never release a game in a bad state and promise it will get better later. Delay if needed but don't throw it out there because of an arbitrary deadline. It turns people against your game, even if you do eventually fix it. See BFA.

[Ersula]

No expansion has ever launched in a "good" state & that's fine

[Jastall]

WoD's launch was a mess because of the unprecedented number of returning players and Blizzard being fully unprepared for such a massive influx. It remains one of the few times Blizzard has ever given people free game time because of the issues most players experienced. In terms of the actual content itself, it was just as polished (if not moreso) than Legion's. And while there were further issues with the deployment of the raid cycles later in WoD, I think a lot of that stemmed from Blizzard needing to refocus entirely after they found out the Garrison feature was not the casual-friendly anchor for subs I'm sure they hoped it would be.

Not hard to polish WoD's content when it barely had any save for the poorly thought out Garrisons and boring ass Apexis dailies, at least Legion shook up the game in major ways so it's far easier for me to excuse its initial systems and balance woes ('member Surrender to Madness in EN? I 'member). Then again Highmaul also had ass tuning with the gear check boss being killed after the friggin final boss, so ridiculous were the DPS demands.

Less easy to forgive BfA since three out of four of its signature features didn't just have issues, they were poorly thought out from the onset. Well they did mostly fix Azerite (more or less by making it a lot less relevant and removing barriers they put up in the first place) but Islands and Warfronts were just about dead on arrival and I still don't see what kind of player they thought to attract with them. Only Allied Races were a success, good on Blizzard for not fucking up sub-races like they fucked up player housing at least.

In the end, bugs can get fixed, and don't bother me overmuch so long as they're not gamebreaking at least. Bad design however can stay for a long, long time, if not forever. So far I don't see a lot of that in Shadowlands, far less than in WoD or BfA- but proof is still in the proverbial pudding of course.

[Icelin]

I've pretty much said since Blizzcon 2019 to go ahead and take as much time as needed. It doesn't matter how vocal you are. (SL was trying to be more aggressive. Compared to BFA release information.) They are set in their ways (suits at Blizzard) of when this product will be released.

Trust me. I have tried both ways. Silence and Vocal. Nothing works.

I just keep hoping that a Warcraft 3 Reforged does not happen again. As I don't want to see a disaster with World of Warcraft.

[AlmightyGerkin]

Mmmm. I don't think so. If you don't care about it being really balanced and just want the new stuff to play that is a perfectly valid opinion.

Balance and Blizzard don't go together at all anymore.

[dcc626]

Balance isn't everything but that being said... I shouldn't have to feel like I'm missing out on a really good skill by picking the covenant I want lore wise. From what I understand, the skills are unbalanced and some specs have the conduits favor the strongest skill too, leaving them in the dust.

Class balance has always been an issue. Delaying for this seems a bit crazy though since they've never been able to fix it and I don't think they will. At least get the classes within a 5-10% dps/healing/bubble/damage mitigation value difference. With that said, I don't think it's an easy thing to do and sometimes some classes need to shine. Maybe not as brightly as they do now anyways.

one of the biggest problems is the number of classes/specs in the game. there is no way to balance it. and yet people continue to ask for more classes, more specs.

this is how the game is now. holding it back 2 months will not fix it. more time also wont make them change their minds about covenants. so people hoping thats a thing should probably move on.

[tomten]

Again, Activision does NOT MAKE ANY decisions regarding Blizzard. Blizzard and Activision are two separate self autonomous companies under one roof. People need to stop with this myth.

It's not a myth at all lol... Thats what they sold you in the beginning of the merger... but it has shown to be anything but a myth...

[Hablion]

Stock Holders would not be happy about a delay and would likely cost the company millions so nah they wont delay it. Investor money > any majority or minority of players opinions.